Tabatabai

VISSERS / TABATABAI Exhibit 10/9/15 - 1/9/16

My artwork is a combination of drawing, painting and sculpture that describes a place that is as much an idea as a physical location. The compositions embody liminality; that is, they create a constant experience of sensations that exist at the limen, or edge of perception. To bring about this state, I have removed all possible distractions. Narrative and figuration, even figure and ground, have been excised from the delicate combinations of squares, rectangles, and floating lines.

I work with a variety of materials, such as slate, wood, thread and wax, in addition to paint, to produce a “painting” with a sculptural, three-dimensional quality. For the past 15 years, I have devoted my attention to a very tiny area—an area that comprises the physicality of a line and functions as the transitional space between two entities. I view the “line” as empty space without an agenda or allegiance; it is neither here nor there. I have found that by paying attention to this tiny, subtle, yet detailed space, one is forced to turn away from the outside world and focus inward on one’s own interior space.

Tabatabai

VISSERS / TABATABAI Exhibit 10/9/15 - 1/9/16

My artwork is a combination of drawing, painting and sculpture that describes a place that is as much an idea as a physical location. The compositions embody liminality; that is, they create a constant experience of sensations that exist at the limen, or edge of perception. To bring about this state, I have removed all possible distractions. Narrative and figuration, even figure and ground, have been excised from the delicate combinations of squares, rectangles, and floating lines.

I work with a variety of materials, such as slate, wood, thread and wax, in addition to paint, to produce a “painting” with a sculptural, three-dimensional quality. For the past 15 years, I have devoted my attention to a very tiny area—an area that comprises the physicality of a line and functions as the transitional space between two entities. I view the “line” as empty space without an agenda or allegiance; it is neither here nor there. I have found that by paying attention to this tiny, subtle, yet detailed space, one is forced to turn away from the outside world and focus inward on one’s own interior space.

Note: Tabatabai's thread paintings explore two and three-dimensional space through the use of lines / thread. From a distance, the piece appears to be created by a single background color and black voids. As one approaches, the linear element becomes apparent. When one looks even closer, one sees that some of the threads are painted to match the background, thereby creating the void. The thread hovers over the background by 1/16". Tabatabai's extraordinary care is evident in the precision of all of his work.

Acrylic piece 2014-19 (2014)

Acrylic paint on cast acrylic panel /18" x 17" x 0.625” / Sold

Detail: the grid is created on the front of the acrylic. The vertical lines of the center block are created on the back of the acrylic, therefore, providing depth to the piece.